Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/458422
Candidate for CTA Vice President Theresa Montaño Member, California Faculty Association, CSU Northridge; CTA Board of Directors member. Candidate for CTA Vice President Ricardo Abreu Member, United Teachers Los Angeles; CTA State Council member; NEA Representative Assembly delegate. I envision a California where every student has access to an academically-enriched classroom, with talented educators, committed Education Support Professionals, involved parents, and the resources to develop and deliver a culturally relevant, twenty-first century curricula. My vision is rooted in my experience as a student, single mother, classroom teacher, union activist, and professor. I won't stop until this vision becomes a reality. I am the only candidate with leadership and teaching experience in both public education systems, this has provided me an indepth knowledge about the issues facing public educators, PK-higher education. I have a record of standing up to the assaults on public education. I have taken on Arne Duncan, gone to jail with California's teachers, and dedicated my personal and professional life to the education of California's students. I will work with you to build a union that: • is the visible voice of "public" education • will respond quickly to attempts to outsource ESP jobs • refuses the inadequate implementation of Common Core under the shadow of high stakes testing or Pearson. • works for the reasonable and equitable implementation of controversial policies like AB 420, Ethnic Studies, LCAP and more. • advocates for teacher-led professional development, free quality induction programs, and distinguished teacher preparation programs. • exposes the economic inequalities plaguing our poorest communities, rural and urban, and works with allies to launch a campaign for fair taxation. • develops a grassroots effort to reclaim the public education narrative, organize and recruit new members, and build sustainable and equitable partnerships parents and community. The Long Term Strategic Plan is the new vision for our union, but implementation will happen when empowered locals use it to begin the organizing and coalition building needed to insure growth and stability in our union. We must build a movement that challenges those who have neither our students' nor our interests in mind, and this movement will require bold, new leadership. Voters have a real choice. The power of democracy assures us our leaders do not merely ascend to higher office by virtue of the office they presently hold or who they know, a leader must earn your trust and respect, as well as your vote. With broad experience, dedicated activism, and a serious commitment to CTA's future — I stand ready to meet the challenge. My name is Theresa Montaño and I would appreciate your vote . Ricardo Abreu is running for vice president. Why? I became more involved in my union a few years ago not because I agreed with what I saw- but because I opposed it. I saw unions solidly behind the very politicians who were spearheading the drive to privatize public education. We failed to make demands on President Obama before endorsing him. So, first it was President George Bush's NCLB and now it's President Barack Obama/Arne Duncan and RTTT. I've been inside the belly of the beast and what did I see? I saw CTA endorsement of candidates sworn to the expansion of charter schools, while in words our union claimed to oppose privatization. Then Common Core came along to further the agenda of the privatizers and the unions bought in. The aim is to tie test scores to teacher evaluations. The new tests are harder than ever and sold under the guise of "leveling the playing field." The response of the unions to the attacks has been lacking. I recall some milquetoast criticisms about the implementation and not much else. It's time to turn the tide. The CTA should be leading the charge. The CTA should be calling out the inequities fearlessly not playing footsie with politicians they are afraid to offend. The time has come to oppose the privatizers regardless of their political affiliation. I am running with the EON/BAMN (Equal Opportunity/By Any Means Necessary) caucus which has been at the forefront of the fight for the rights of all our disenfranchised students by taking the fight all the way to the Supreme Court! At its core it's a fight for our civil rights. We will lead a new civil rights movement to defend our public schools. If elected, I pledge to fight for the rights of all students regardless of immigration status. We will fight for integration and against the re-segregation that is happening via charters. We will fight for equitable funding and the elimination of high-stakes testing. We will fight to increase the salaries of teachers and ensure that their health care benefits are not eroded. We will fight for free public education K-college because spending on education is a worthy investment. We will fight to hire more teachers and reduce class size. We will fight for a massive increase in money going into public schools and less into the coffers of privatizers. Montaño Abreu Below are campaign statements of candidates for CTA officers in the April 2015 State Council elections. The statements are unedited and limited to 400 words. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the candidates and not necessarily those of CTA and NEA. 58 www.cta.org